Clock Tower Multan or Ghanta Ghar Multan ( ur, ) is city government headquarters of

Multan Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab. Multan is one of the List ...

in the

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

province of

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

.Location of Ghanta Ghar - Falling rain Genomics website
/ref>
Clock Tower - Ghanta Ghar, Multan - Multan Pakistan

History

Ghanta Ghar or Clock Tower of Multan was built in 1884 A.D. during

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. After passing the municipal act of 1883 British needed offices to run the city. They started constructing Ghanta Ghar in Multan on 12 February 1884 and it took 4 years to completely build this building. It was constructed over the ruins of

Haveli A ''haveli'' is a traditional townhouse, mansion, manor house, in the Indian subcontinent, usually one with historical and architectural significance, and located in a town or city. The word ''haveli'' is derived from Arabic ''hawali'', mean ...

of Ahmad Khan Sadozai which was completely destroyed during

Siege of Multan The siege of Multan began on 19 April 1848 and lasted until 22 January 1849, and saw fighting around Multan (in present-day Pakistan) between the British East India Company and the Sikh Empire. It began with a rebellion against a ruler imposed ...

. The hall and building were named 'Ripon Hall and Ripon Building' after the name of

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city in the Borough of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, the city ...

, viceroy of India at that time. And clock tower was named Northbrook Tower after the name of Northbrook, a former Viceroy of India (1872–3). This building was completed, opened and offices shifted in 1888. Hall was named 'Jinnah Hall' after the

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

in 1947 and is used for office meetings, cultural programs, and is open to the public. With the passage of time, this building became insufficient for offices and a small hall was also insufficient for meetings, so offices were shifted from here. Now it is said that plan for the future is to change this historic building into a museum. Sunset - Ghanta Ghar, Multan

Clock of Clock Tower

On 27 October 2011, three clocks of Ghanta Ghar were repaired and started again showing the time of PST which is +5GMT. This effort was done by a watch company Rado Watchmaker . The machinery and needles of the clocks were changed while the clock's main dial was unchanged. It runs on solar energy. The clock had stopped working in 1985.

Multan museum

Ghanta Ghar Multan is made a museum by the city government called

Multan Museum The Multan Museum ( ur, ملتان متحف ) is located in the city of Multan and the Multan District, in Punjab Province of eastern Pakistan. Collections The Multan Museum contains a fine collection of coins, medals, postage stamps of the f ...

. Funds have been allocated and work has been started. Multan based company Ideafist is designing the 3D Model for the Museum and they are planning to develop the actual 3D image for the museum in the future. The 3D model is under construction.

References

Clock towers in Pakistan Buildings and structures in Multan British colonial architecture Tourist attractions in Multan {{Multan-geo-stub

History

Clock of Clock Tower

Multan museum

See also

References